Portable paint roller cleaning apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for cleaning paint rollers includes a closed housing in which a roller that has been saturated with a paint solvent can be rotatably mounted. The roller is releasably engaged within the housing by a device attached to the end of an axle. The axle can be rotated to spin the roller dry. Paint and solvent is confined to the interior of the housing throughout the cleaning operation. A hole is provided in the lid of the housing so that paintbrushes can also be inserted and spun dry. When the apparatus is not in use as a paint roller or brush cleaner, it serves as a container for the storage of painting equipment.

[ 51 Oct. 10,1972

1541 PORTABLE PAINT ROLLER CLEANING APPARATUS [72] Inventor: RichardDewey Hand, P.O. Box 571,

East Hampton, NY. 11937 22 Filed: April 15, 1970 21 Appl.No.: 28,774

[52} US. Cl. ..15/4, 34/58, 68/214 [51] Int. Cl. ..A46b 17/06 [58] Fieldof Search ..l5/1, 3, 4; 34/58, 59; 134/161, 157, 135; 68/214 [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,344,017 3/1944 Ashpes ..34/582,542,491 2/1951 Engel ..34/58 2,715,409 8/1955 Wachs ..134/1352,794,264 6/1957 Scholtka ..34/58 2,822,814 2/1958 Torkelson ..134/l352,826,826 3/1958 Boehm ..34/58 2,881,533 4/1959 Johnson ..34/582,965,111 12/1960 Feigelman...; ..134/l35 3,085,583 4/1963 Siek..l34/135 Primary Examiner-Leon G. Machlin Attorney-Brumbaugh, Graves,Donohue & Raymond [5 7] ABSTRACT An apparatus for cleaning paint rollersincludes a closed housing in which a roller that has been saturated witha paint solvent can be rotatably mounted. The roller is releasablyengaged within the housing by a device attached to the end of an axle.The axle can be rotated to spin the roller dry. Paint and solvent isconfined to the interior of the housing throughout the cleaningoperation. A hole is provided in the lid of the housing so thatpaintbrushes can also be inserted and spun dry. When the apparatus isnot in use as a paint roller or brush cleaner, it serves as a containerfor the storage of painting equipment.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures l/i iiliiiiililiil1 PATENTEBW 1 m2 3.6963157SHEET 1 BF 2 INVENTOR RICHARD DEWEY HAND s ATTORNEYS P'ATENTEBHM 1 I 123.698.457

saw 2 UF 2 34 23 FIG. 2 l l lb I4 I l4 lb lmww mum INVENTOR RICHARDDEWEY HAND his ATTORNEYS PORTABLE PAINT ROLLER CLEANING APPARATUSBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to anapparatus for cleaning paint rollers and, more particularly, to a noveland highly effective apparatus in which paint rollers can be spun dry.

It is a common practice among professional as well as amateur paintersto clean paint rollers by emersing the rollers in an appropriate paintsolvent. The solvent must then be removed from the roller by rolling itrapidly across a large surface and wiping the roller with rags. This isa notoriously messy and time consuming process to which no acceptablealternative has been devised previously.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a portable apparatusfor cleaning paint rollers which comprises a substantially closedhousing and a roller spinning means. A roller which has been saturatedwith a paint solvent is supported by the roller spinning means betweentwo opposed walls of the housing and spun dry. The roller spinning meanscomprises an axle rotatably joumaled in one wall of the housing andmeans attached to one end of the axle for releasably engaging theroller.

The roller spinning means may include a manually operable crank and ameans for connecting the crank to the roller and for increasing thespeed of the roller in relation to the crank. An arrangement of pulleysand a belt may be used for this purpose.

An opening is provided in a removable lid which forms part of thehousing. Paintbrushes can be inserted through the opening and spun drywithin the housing. When the apparatus is not being used to cleanrollers or brushes, it serves as a convenient portable carrying case andstorage compartment for painting equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An of additional aspects of theinvention can be gained from a consideration of the following detaileddescription of a representative embodiment of the invention, inconjunction with the appended drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional pictorial view of a paint roller cleaningapparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views of the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional pictorial view of a paintbrush held by abrush spinner which can be used in conjunction with the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows an exterior view ofa paint roller cleaning apparatus having a substantially closed housing10 that is generally rectangular in shape and is preferably made ofplastic. Metal, wood and other suitable materials may also be employed.The top of the housing 10 comprises a removable lid 12 which, as may beseen most clearly in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 2 and 3, has adepending lip 14 projecting from the bottom thereof. The lip 14 isadapted to engage the interior edge 16 of the remainder of the housing10 thereby effectively sealing the housing against seepage of paint fromthe inside while the apparatus is in use. A means 18 for releasablysecuring the lid 12 to the remainder of the housing 10 and holding it ina closed position is provided at each end of the housing 10. Thesecuring means 18 may be resilient clips of the type used onconventional tool chests.

A conventional paint roller 20 to be cleaned is provided with anabsorbent covering 22 that has.been saturated with a paint solvent. Theroller '20 is mounted on a conventional paint roller handle 23 which isplaced in the housing 10 so as to engage a groove 24 in a wall 25 of thehousing 10. The roller 20 and the handle 23 are supported by a rollerspinning means 26 which includes an axle 27 that is rotatably joumaledin a wall 28 opposite the wall 25 of the housing 10.

It should be noted that the roller 20 can readily be placed in thehousing 10 without removing it from the paint roller handle 23. Thus itis not necessary to touch the roller 20 when inserting it in theapparatus.

The roller 20 is secured to the axle 27 for rotation therewith by ameans 29 for releasably engaging the roller 20 comprising a rollerengaging member having two prongs that are easily inserted into twoslots provided in the roller 20. The roller engaging member 29 ispressed against the roller 20 by a helical spring 30 which encircles theaxle 27. By compressing the spring 30, the roller engaging means 29 canbe moved away from the roller 20 which can then be removed from thehousing 10. Springs and axles of different lengths may be used toaccommodate rollers of different lengths.

The axle 27, which is journaled in a hole-31 in the wall 28 of thehousing 10, is positioned against the inside of the wall 28 by a washer32. The axle 27 can readily be removed and placed inside the housing 10for storage.

The lid 12 includes an opening 34 which permits a paintbrush 36 to beinserted into the housing 10 and spun clean. A screw-on cap 38 isprovided which may be used to cover the opening 34, as shown in FIG 1.The lid 12 is also provided with a handle 40 by which the apparatus maybe readily transported, and a vent 42 through which air and fumes arepermitted to escape from the apparatus. A vent may also be provided inthe cap 38.

The apparatus can be used to clean paint rollers which are first rolledin an appropriate paint solvent and then placed in the housing 10 in themanner explained above and spun dry. An auxiliary use of the apparatusis to clean brushes. In this instance it is used in conjunction with aconventional paintbrush spinner 44. A brush 36 is inserted in an end 46of a conventional paintbrush spinner 44 shown in FIG. 4. The brush 36 isinserted in the opening 34 as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 3 and spunin response to the manual reciprocation of a handle 47;

The apparatus includes a means 48 for manually driving the roller 20which comprises a first pulley 50 disposed outside the housing 10 andattached to the axle 24 for rotation therewith, a manually operablecrank 52, a larger second pulley 54 to which the crank 52 is attachedrotatably mounted on the housing 10, and a drive-belt 56 which operablyconnects the pulleys 50 and 54. Thus, the pulleys 50 and 54 and thedrivebelt 56 provide a means for connecting the crank-52 to the roller20 and for increasing the speed of the roller 20 in relation to thecrank 52. An electric motor or other source of power can be readilyconnected to either of the pulleys 50 or 54 to drive the roller 20. Ifdesired, an arrangement of tooth gears could be substituted for thepulleys 50 and 54 and the drive belt 56.

The apparatus described above provides a simple and convenient solutionto the problem of cleaning paint rollers. It allows any type of paintsolvent, such as terpentine or water, to be easily and effectivelyapplied to a roller while completely confining both the solvent and thepaint to the interior of the apparatus. The apparatus is compact and canbe economically manufactured. Thus, it is suitable for use in the homeby amateur painters. When not in use to clean rollers or brushes, itprovides a convenient storage and carrying case for painting equipment.The opening 38 allows the apparatus to be used as a convenient closedcontainer in which brushes can be spun dry. Thus virtually all of thepainters equipment can be cleaned without using any other containers.The removable lid 12 provides easy access to the interior of theapparatus. The housing also serves as a convenient container into whichpaint solvent can be poured for application to the roller or the brush36.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the above-describedembodiment is meant to be merely exemplary and that it is susceptible ofmodification and variation without departing fromthe spirit and scope ofthe invention. For example, a different type of means for releasablyengaging the roller could be employed. Therefore, the invention is notdeemed to be limited except as defined by the appended claims.

' I claim:

1. A portable apparatus for cleaning paint rollers comprising asubstantially rectangular and substantially closed plastic housingforming a container suitable for storing painting equipment, the top ofthe housing comprising a removable lid having a depending lip projectingfrom the bottom of the lid adapted to engage the interior edge of theremainder of the housing, means for releasably securing the lid to theremainder of the housing in a closed position, a handle attached to thelid whereby the apparatus can be readily transported, a roller spinningmeans for supporting a paint roller which is saturated with a paintsolvent and a paint roller handle on which the roller is mounted betweentwo opposed walls of the housing and for rotating the roller whereby theroller can be spun dry comprising an axle rotatably joumaled in one wallof the housing, means carried by one end of the axle for releasablyengaging the roller for rotation therewith and means for rotating theroller comprising a manually operable crank and a means for connectingthe crank to the roller and for increasing the speed of rotation of theroller in relation to the crank, and an opening provided in the housingthrough which a paintbrush can be inserted and spun dry within thehousing.

2. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a helical spring meanswhich encircles the axle means for biasing the means for engaging theroller against the end of the roller.

3. A portable apparatus for cleaning paint rollers comprising asubstantially rectangular and substantially closed plastic housingforming a container suitable for storing painting equipment, the top ofthe housing comprising a removable lid having a depending lip projectingfrom the bottom of the lid adapted to engage the interior edge of theremainder of the housing, means for releasably securing the lid to theremainder of the housing in a closed position, a handle attached to thelid whereby the apparatus can be readily transported, a roller spinningmeans for supporting a paint roller which is saturated with a paintsolvent and a paint roller handle on which the roller is mounted betweentwo opposed walls of the housing and for rotating the roller whereby theroller can be spun dry comprising an axle rotatably joumaled in one wallof the housing, means carried by one end of the axle for releasablyengaging the roller for rotation therewith and means for rotating theroller comprising a crank and a means for connecting the crank to theroller and for establishing a speed of rotation of the roller differentfrom that of the crank, and an opening provided in the housing throughwhich a paint brush can be inserted and spun dry within the housing.

Po-iow UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,696,457 Dated October 10, 1972 Invent fl Richard Dewev 'Hand It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1 line 43 '"An of" should be An understanding of Column 4 line 16claim 2 "claim 11' should be -olaim l Signed and sealed this 1st dayofMay 1973'.

(SEAL) Attest: I v

EDWAED M. FLETCHER, v ROBERT GOTTSCHALK; I Attesting Officer ICommisssioner of Patents

1. A portable apparatus for cleaning paint rollers comprising asubstantially rectangular and substantially closed plastic housingforming a container suitable for storing painting equipment, the top ofthe housing comprising a removable lid having a depending lip projectingfrom the bottom of the lid adapted to engage the interior edge of theremainder of the housing, means for releasably securing the lid to theremainder of the housing in a closed position, a handle attached to thelid whereby the apparatus can be readily transported, a roller spinningmeans for supporting a paint roller which is saturated with a paintsolvent and a paint roller handle on which the roller is mounted betweentwo opposed walls of the housing and for rotating the roller whereby theroller can be spun dry comprising an axle rotatably journaled in onewall of the housing, means carried by one end of the axle for releasablyengaging the roller for rotation therewith and means for rotating theroller comprising a manually operable crank and a means for connectingthe crank to the roller and for increasing the speed of rotation of theroller in relation to the crank, and an opening provided in the housingthrough which a paintbrush can be inserted and spun dry within thehousing.
 2. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a helicalspring means which encircles the axle means for biasing the means forengaging the roller against the end of the roller.
 3. A portableapparatus for cleaning paint rollers comprising a substantiallyrectangular and substantially closed plastic housing forming a containersuitable for storing painting equipment, the top of the housingcomprising a removable lid having a depending lip projecting from thebottom of the lid adapted to engage the interior edge of the remainderof the housing, means for releasably securing the lid to the remainderof the housing in a closed position, a handle attached to the lidwhereby the apparatus can be readily transported, a roller spinningmeans for supporting a paint roller which is saturated with a paintsolvent and a paint roller handle on which the roller is mounted betweentwo opposed walls of the housing and for rotating the roller whereby theroller can be spun dry comprising an axle rotatably journaled in onewall of the housing, means carried by one end of the axle for releasablyengaging the roller for rotation therewith and means for rotating theroller comprising a crank and a means for connecting the crank to theroller and for establishing a speed of rotation of the roller differentfrom that of the crank, and an opening provided in the housing throuGhwhich a paint brush can be inserted and spun dry within the housing.